The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 310 Recognition
After Tang Kuo Shanying left, Wu Chengyu did not speak immediately, but used a three-dimensional map to check all the movements inside the room and within a hundred meters around the room.

Fortunately, Madam Wen did not know martial arts, and although she was closely watched, the surveillance was all outside the house, and there were no means of eavesdropping inside.

The room fell silent for a moment, then Madam Wen spoke first.

"Young man, you shouldn't be from Tongguan County."

"That's right, I was just passing through Tongguan County on some business, who would have thought I'd get involved."

"Actually, from the moment I was placed under house arrest, he had many methods at his disposal. The reason he chose an outsider was not only to consider those in the clan who still supported me, but also because many people were watching. If he used any drastic measures against me, there would inevitably be more unforeseen changes."

I don't know why this child is so vicious. He brought you here not only to seize power and strip me of my status as the head of the household, but also to deliberately humiliate me.

And you? What are you going to do to me? Or what did you promise him?

I won't try to kill myself, and I have ways to protect myself. You're just a young scholar, so you should behave yourself these next few days and not have any improper thoughts.

The matter between me and Xia Kuo Shanying is none of your business.

Wu Chengyu nodded. This Madam Wen, even though she was in a predicament and didn't know martial arts, remained calm from beginning to end. At least, whether it was when Xia Kuo Shanying first came in or when she exposed her maid's betrayal.

Moreover, she was now in the same room with Wu Chengyu, a complete stranger, and didn't know his background, but her heartbeat remained steady.

This lady's calmness and composure were not feigned; such women are rare. No wonder she had been feigning compliance with the Jin dynasty's upper echelons while secretly providing strong support to the rebel army for many years. Her unwavering character is evident.

Wu Chengyu did not answer her immediately. He first found a copper basin in the room. The water in the basin was relatively clean. He was overjoyed and immediately used the water in the basin to wash off all the makeup on his face. He then took off the begonia hairpin from his head and threw it aside.

Only then did Wu Chengyu feel completely refreshed. He found a chair and sat down, then looked up at Madam Wen, who was still sitting in the shadows, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"The Pengpu River and Lushan Mountain have seen many autumns, while the Yangtze River flows eastward with countless bends."

Wu Chengyu has met with Madam Wen.

These two lines of poetry are from Yue Fei. They are far less famous than "Man Jiang Hong," but they are also used to reveal his identity to Lady Wen. This is a coded message given by Guan Su.

But after the coded message was spoken, Madam Wen did not reply immediately. Instead, she remained silent. However, she finally raised her head, which had been lowered, and looked at Wu Chengyu seriously for the first time with a firm and bright gaze.

Wu Chengyu finally got a good look at Madam Wen's appearance. She was probably over forty years old. Judging from her features, she must have been a beauty when she was young, but now that her youth had faded, she could only be described as gentle and graceful. As the head of the family, she commanded respect and had the demeanor of a strong and dignified woman.

However, having been under house arrest for some time, he inevitably looked somewhat haggard and listless.

It was within Wu Chengyu's expectations that he would not react upon hearing the coded message; to acknowledge the other party on the spot would be too impulsive.

Wu Chengyu slowly took out an object from his sleeve—a jade pendant. Unlike ordinary jade pendants, this one was shaped like a knife, with a menacing dragon carved on one side and the character 'Guan' written on the other.

This was Guan Su's keepsake, which she never parted with. Few people knew about it, but Guan Su and Madam Wen had known each other for years, so it was impossible that she didn't recognize it.

Wu Chengyu placed the jade pendant on the table, and Madam Wen finally stood up and walked over. She took the jade pendant in her hand and carefully examined it.

For Madam Wen, having been betrayed by her own personal maid, she naturally had to be cautious, so she wouldn't immediately believe the coded message Wu Chengyu gave.

But this jade pendant was Guan Su's personal possession. Madam Wen didn't know martial arts; in her eyes, Guan Su's broadsword symbolized absolute power, and she believed no one could snatch this jade pendant from Guan Su. "Did the young lady from the Guan family bring any message?"

"Sister Guan said that every year on the Qixi Festival, she most wants to drink Sister Wen's osmanthus wine."

Madam Wen finally smiled. The code could be known by others, and the jade pendant could be stolen. Only she and Guan Su knew about this matter, and she had absolute trust in Guan Su.

Wu Chengyu secretly exclaimed that it wasn't easy, and couldn't help but sincerely praise his wife, Hong Niangzi.

Guan Su could only think of coded messages. Only Yan Chunyu had foreseen this, which is why he prepared the tokens and the information that only Madam Wen and Guan Su knew. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to gain their trust.

Madam Wen gave Wu Chengyu a slight bow: "My name is Wen Ru. May I ask if Brother Wu is also a member of the righteous army? May I ask which incense stick you are burning?"

Wu Chengyu rose and returned the greeting: "Three incense sticks are placed in front of Wu Mu's tomb, each incense stick is nine inches and three-tenths of an inch long."

Madam Wen's eyes lit up. She and the rebels were already inseparable, and Guan Su would tell her many things.

"So it was Jiuzhou Bu Er who assassinated Shi Miyuan, the righteous elder brother of the righteous army. Today, I have truly met a great hero."

Having heard it so many times, Wu Chengyu had become desensitized to the title "Nine Provinces Unrivaled" and was no longer so embarrassed. However, since Madam Wen had made great contributions to the silent resistance against the Jin, and she was also Guan Su's good friend, Wu Chengyu did not dare to be presumptuous in front of her.

“Madam Wen, you’re too kind. I call Guan Su ‘elder sister,’ so you don’t need to be so polite.”

"Alright, then you can call me sister, and I'll call you brother Chengyu."

"That's right. I heard about Sister Wen from Sister Guan and I admire Sister Wen from the bottom of my heart. We are all family."

To be honest, Sister Wen, although Sister Guan received a message from the maid saying that Sister Wen was safe and sound here, she was still worried, so she sent a message to Commander Yan Chunyu. Commander Yan did not dare to delay and immediately rushed to Tongguan County.

I happened to be in Tongguan County looking for Sister Guan to do something, and I learned that Sister Wen was in trouble. I also happened to be noticed by Tang Kuo Shanying, so I decided to play along and come in to find out about Sister Wen's situation.

It now appears that Tangkuo Shanying has taken control of most of the Tangkuo family's power. I overheard him saying that he has also established a relationship with Wanyan Hongsheng.

"If he could strip his elder sister of her status as the matriarch, then he could truly become the clan head of the Tangkuo clan in Tongguan County."

Madam Wen nodded, her expression somewhat grave: "Everything else is negotiable. Now that you're here, I feel more confident."

However, since Wanyan Hongsheng is involved, things have become a bit complicated. This man is extremely greedy, and his willingness to help Tangkuo Shanying must have come at the cost of a huge reward.

Even if Tangkuo Shanying ultimately fails to seize power, once Wanyan Hongsheng's appetite is whetted, he won't stop until he takes a big bite.

Brother Chengyu, what are your plans?

"I just want to ask Sister Wen, after all, you raised Tang Kuo Shan Ying. If I were to kill him, would you stop me?"

Madam Wen gave a bitter smile and shook her head: "He must be sad, but those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. This child's mind is twisted. Letting him live will only harm more people."

However, Tangkuo Shanying cannot die yet.

(End of this chapter)